Valkyries, Defenders of the Earth
by Dairene
Summary: In an alternate universe, Earth is united under the banner of the Alliance of Nations, a powerful, international alliance, following the end of World War III. The Alliance went on to colonize the solar system. However, the first ventures beyond the solar system in 2137 encountered a hostile alien force, the United Mecusite Confederation...


In an alternate universe, Earth is united under the banner of the Alliance of Nations, a powerful, international alliance, following the end of World War III. The Alliance went on to colonize the solar system, establishing space cities from Mars to the Saturnian moons. Further progress was made when a massive alien artifact was discovered on Pluto's moon, Charon, that allowed spectacular faster-than-light travel across star systems.

However, the people of Earth had a rude shock on the first ventures beyond the solar system in 2137. They soon encountered a hostile alien force calling itself the "United Mecusite Confederation", which claimed to a loose confederation of "hundreds of interplanetary states", containing "thousands of races" and "millions of inhabited worlds", all sworn to a goddess named "Mecuse". Seeing as the Mecusites deployed a wide variety of warships with vastly-different designs, technology, and operational doctrines, there appeared to be some truth to their grandiose claims.

The Mecusites expressed knowledge of Earth's existence and claimed that it was "Mecuse's will" that the "cities of Earth be razed to the ground".

Subsequently, Mecusite warships mercilessly attacked any Alliance diplomatic or exploration vessels they encountered and drove them back to the Sol System. Several times, Mecusite flotillas penetrated the Charon Relay, and though each time the Alliance Navy managed to beat them back, it was as no small cost. After each engagement, the Alliance was forced to further build up its military defenses.

This on-and-off war continued until 2145, when, at the Fourth Battle of Charon, the Mecusites finally punched through the Alliance defense lines and made a beeline for Earth, completely ignoring the other human settlements and space stations around the system. There they launched a wave of ground assault craft before rapidly retreating.

The Mecusite forces descended upon and assaulted the city of Beijing, China, sacking large parts of the city's downtown area before local Chinese and Alliance forces were able to contain the invaders. It was more than a month before the enemy could be entirely evicted from the city. In the meantime, the Mecusite fleet in Sol had attempted to launch a second attack on Earth, only to meet a swift end at the hands of the Alliance fleet.

Although the Alliance was victorious in the end, it knew there was no way it could keep up with the heavy losses, particularly if the Mecusites had far more reserves than the Alliance could ever even dream of.

This is when a shadowy group of scientists, occultists, and cultists emerged, calling themselves the Praxis Foundation. Their leader, an enigmatic man referring to himself only as "Silver Star", promised to create an elite military force to combat the Mecusite invaders, at no cost to the Alliance. Except that the new military force, which he dubbed "Valkyries", be independent of the normal Alliance command structure.

Many Alliance leaders were highly-skeptical of Silver Star's claims, but many were also frightened enough of the Mecusites that they saw no harm in giving it a try. And so the Valkyries were formed. Of course, the Alliance continued to devote itself to more conventional methods, the build-up of military hardware and eventually, making contact with friendly extraterrestrial forces willing to help them combat the Mecusites.

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April 4, 2146 CE, 20:30 Terran Standard Time (UTC +12)

Valkyrie Operations Center, Valhalla Tower, Terran Socialist Republic, Earth (Sol System), Alliance of Nations, Milky Way Galaxy…

Secretary-General of the Valkyries, Elaena Targaryen, sat at her desk, organizing reports from the various Valkyrie Teams active in the field. Although technically fourth-in-command of the Valkyries (after Supreme Leader "Silver Star", Chairperson Aqua of Axel, and Deputy Chairperson Eris of Belzeg), none of the three leaders above her seemed very interested in dealing with the mundane paperwork, logistics, finances, and deployment of actual Valkyrie forces in the field.

Since there had been no extraterrestrial attacks by the United Mecusite Confederation since the formation of the Valkyries, but the newly-formed group had been kept busy instead by combating insurgent and pirate groups both on Earth and across the solar system.

Beep! Beep!

"Who could be calling at this hour?" Elaena grumbled, and pressed the button for her holoscreen.

An image emerged of Nadia Petrov, the current President of the Terran Socialist Republic.

"How are you, Elaena?"

"Nadia, good to see you," Elaena forced a tired smile. "The Valkyries' Delta Team has been doing well in their new deployment in Guam. They've rooted out most of the GLA terrorist cells on the island."

"That's good to hear, but I fear their real test will be coming up soon," Nadia nodded solemnly. "One of our new extraterrestrial friends, General Jan Dodonna of the Rebel Alliance, is on his way to speak to you. They have new intelligence on Mecusite movements. Their reports are corroborated by our reconnaissance drones, which have reported a massive Mecusite build-up in the Arcturus System."

"Meaning we will soon have a Fifth Battle of Charon soon enough," Elaena narrowed her eyes. "What are our chances?"

"General Dodonna will fill you in on the details, but it doesn't look good. The Mecusites are really picking up their game now. Thing is, they don't seem to care about destroying the Alliance as a whole; they seem myopically fixated on attacking cities on Earth."

"Their motivations are still a mystery, huh?" Elaena muttered thoughtfully. "Never fear though- I will have all available Valkyrie Teams mobilized by tomorrow."

She leaned back in her own chair, pondering her current life. _If I wasn't as competent as I was- if I was reckless like Daena or pious like Rhaena- I wouldn't be here, would I? What the hell am I doing in a world like this..._

There was a knock at the office door, and Elaena shouted, "Come in!"

In came a grizzled old man in Rebel Alliance uniform- it was General Jan Dodonna alright.

"Welcome, General," Elaena greeted politely. "I trust you have the reports- on paper?"

"Um, yes- yes, of course," The General muttered, and handed her a stack of paper.

"Thanks," Elaena let out a brief chuckle, as she reached to recieve them. "I still have trouble with computers." Putting it on her desk, she let her face return to a more solemn expression. "So what are you really here for?"

"Am I that obvious?" The General smirked.

"You could have just sent an aide like before," Elaena shrugged. "You want to know something about the Valkyries, don't you? Something you don't want the others to find out you're investigating."

General Jon Dodonna leaned in closer and whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Well, since everything has been laid bare… I guess I'll just be straight about it. Just who is 'Silver Star'? How is he able to pull off feats akin to the Mecusites?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I'm no expert at physics or magic anyway," Elaena replied, a little irritated. "You're asking me questions higher than my pay grade. Look, I'll make some discreet inquiries into the subject, but I seriously doubt anyone will tell me, and I'm not about to lose my job over this."

The Rebel General nodded understandingly and backed off. "Okay, I understand. I just wish we went into this with a little more knowledge."

Elaena let out a short, ironic laugh. "You realize we're all from different worlds and different realities, right?"

"Um, yeah, I've been briefed on that much-"

"General, I come from a world where people fight wars with swords, archery, and spears. Castles are built from stone, not metal. Horse-drawn cart and our own two feet are the main forms of transportation on land, sailing ships by sea. Most people think the world is flat, and the only flying a human can hope for is by dragon- and the last dragon died when I was but a wee toddler. Space is simply a concept we didn't have, much less invaders from the stars. Nether did we know what bacteria are. There wasn't the miraculous healing the Alliance- or you Rebels- have. Anyone could catch a fever and be dead not long after, cut a finger and die of sickness, or perish while giving birth.

What you guys call 'feudalism' was simply a way of life for us, and there was no such thing as a fair trial, just the law of the sword, customs, and the vagaries of your lord. I was imprisoned for ten years by my own brother because my dumb brother who was king thought it would keep me and my sisters 'pure'," Elaena let out a bitter chuckle to accompany her sarcastic emphasis. "That was the kind of world I spent my entire life in. You have no idea how much I studied and learned about this world just to fit in, and there's still tons I still don't know. You're in the dark- imagine how I felt- how I still often feel!"

"By the Force, I'm sorry- " General Dodonna hastily raised his hands. "I didn't mean to-"

Elaena panted a bit after her rant before continuing, "Sorry. I know it's not exactly your fault, coming from a world where even peasants and bandits can zip through the stars, and just about any illness can be cured by a simple medicine bath. I- I just needed to vent a little."

"No need to apologize," General Dodonna bowed his head gentlemanly. "I wasn't aware how vastly different our worlds were. Regardless, I am glad to work with the Valkyries against the Mecusites, and their Imperial allies."

"It is a pleasure for me as well, General," Elaena acknowledged courteously. "Hopefully, I have not taken up too much of your time."

"Not at all, my lady. I will take my leave now. To victory!"

"To victory!"

General Jan Dodonna let out a small, grim smile at Elaena echoing his parting, before leaving the office.

Elaena sighed as she was left all alone once more. Muttering to herself, she wondered aloud, "Looks like when we finally see how the Valkyries fare against the Mecusites, huh? Just what the hell are you planning, 'Silver Star'?"


End file.
